7 soldiers killed as terrorists storm Army camp in J&K

Srinagar: Seven soldiers, including two officers, were killed and six others wounded as heavily-armed terrorists stormed an Army camp in Jammu’s Nagrota shortly before dawn on Tuesday, triggering a fierce gunbattle that raged through the day.  

At least, three terrorists were killed, and sounds of gunfire and occasional blasts could be heard from a distance when reports last came in. This is the most audacious attack in J&K since terrorists killed 19 soldiers in Kashmir’s Uri in September.

The terrorists disguised as policemen attacked the Army’s 166 Field Regiment on Jammu’s outskirts at 5.30 am, throwing grenades and firing at sentries. They first forced their entry into the Officers’ Mess complex and then occupied two buildings leading to a “hostage like situation”. Even as the gunfight continued, 12 soldiers, two women and two children were rescued.

The Army immediately cordoned off the area and all schools in the area were shut. Traffic was stopped on the Jammu-Udhampur stretch of the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

The regiment is located 3 km from the 16 Corps headquarters, a massive military formation that defends the borders and fights militants and terrorists in the greater Jammu region.

The Uri attack had led to India’s anti-terror strikes across the LoC and continued border casualties. About 20 Indian soldiers were killed in border skirmishes and terror attacks in the past one month.

The attack came as Pakistan’s new Army Chief Lieutenant General Qamar Javed Bajwa took charge, and his predecessor Raheel Sharif warned India not to mistake his country’s “restraint” for weakness.

It also came days before a scheduled visit to India by Pakistan’s foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz for a weekend conference on Afghanistan.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned the terror attack and said that the state has suffered heavily due to an unending cycle of violence.

She expressed sympathies with the families of the slain soldiers and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

In New Delhi, former home secretary and BJP MP R.K. Singh said the attack was a “message” sent by Pakistan’s new Army Chief to India.